Chapter 3: In The Flesh

I woke up at my usual time, 5:45am, and cursed my phone for once again, not going off. Even if I didn't need it, I'd rather have something that worked. I drowsily made my way to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror. My hair had loose strands hanging out all over the place. I mechanically re-did it in a low ponytail, all the while feeling the same feeling from before. Was it... being watched? I looked out the window, deliberately clouded to allow bathroom privacy. I saw nothing, but I thought I saw two golden dots. Maybe I was seeing things.

After a bowl of Weet-bix (thank god they sell them here) and a few minutes of mindless sitting on the sofa, I decided to go out. It was a Sunday here, a day usually reserved for a trip to the gym, a little badminton and with family and reading, then settling for the usual Sunday Night movie at nine. I didn't have a TV yet, my friends and family weren't here, and I had yet to gain membership at the newly built gym. I guess I'd better do it now.

Fork's Fitness Club was OK, better than I expected. The place had developed more since the small town Meyer described. Probably hoards of fans coming over helped Tourism funds. The gym itself was no bigger than an Olympic Swimming pool, but well stocked. I applied for membership, and received my card straight away. No waiting period? Sweet. I hadn't brought my iPod, not expecting this, and I was definitely not in the right clothing for it, so I drove back home to get prepared.

The receptionist asked me if I wanted a Personal Trainer. I smiled. No. She made me fill out a form for permanent membership. Apparently this was a trial. Oh well, it wasn't like there was any other gym around here to compare with. There was only four other people in the gym, one on a treadmill, the other three doing aerobics. I chose a treadmill and started walking at a steady pace. I'd brought a book too, because my iPod was out of charge. I placed it on the display board and cranked up the speed a bit, then more, and then more. I had a habit of starting low and then exhausting myself by the end. I wasn't in the mood for it today, so I started leg weights instead. 10 minutes into that and I was bored again.

Just then, a woman walked up to me. 'Are you having trouble with that?' she asked. I stared at her. She looked vaguely familiar. "I'm fine. I was just stopping... have I seen you somewhere?" I scrutinized her brown curls and heavily lidded eyes. Then it struck me. 'Jessica!?' I was shocked. 'Are you another Twilight hopeful?' she asked, defensive. 'No,' I replied. Definitely not. 'I've just read the books, and you're name tag.' I was still in shock. So there was a girl called Jessica in real life, who looked almost exactly as described. Coincidence, right? Jessica laughed, pulling me out of my reverie.
'Oh right. Name tag, ha. I thought you were one of those...' Jessica looked around and tried to find the right word, '"Twi-hards" I think that's what they call them. Come to Forks looking for Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. They always leave, disappointed. They all left ages ago...' she ended wistfully. I wondered if she was pulling my leg.

'There is a real Edward and Bella? And Mike? And Angela? And Jacob?' I continued. 'Yeah, but they all dispersed now. Angela is some big journalist in Los Angeles. Mike... Mike and I didn't really fit. He got married and left, and now owns a club in Seattle, called "Club Gravity" As for Jacob, he disappeared right along with the Cullen's, and if he was a werewolf, or if that was some fluff made by Stephanie, no one knows. I expect it means that they really were all vampires, they fit the description perfectly, but we can't know for sure either. It seems pretty silly not to have realised it, but they left long before Twilight was even heard of here –still a slow moving place then. Now there are all these new buildings, facilities, more people. Meyer should right a sequel. "Twilight: Ten years on" Mind you, we've searched everywhere for the meadow, the mansion, the clearing. Nothing. The only trace of the Cullen's now is our memory. There aren't even any files in the hospital for Carlisle'

I sat there, letting it sink in, but still finding it hard to believe her. 'Wouldn't people know but? Search Volterra? And be scared of pale people?' Jessica smirked. 'Nobody believes us. They think we just look alike, and we're lying to get famous or something. But now that Twilight is last decades story, nobody cares in any case...' Jessica trailed on. I had a feeling she enjoyed the public interest more than she let on. I let her talk, instead wondering if what she said was true. It was foolish to believe her. She could be a look-alike who changed her name. Or Meyer might have based her story on real characters. But they both seemed unlikely, and here was a Jessica Stanley, in the flesh, so other characters should exist too. I decided to just let her go on, until I had enough information to deem her story 'poppycock'

'Isn't anybody else still here?' Lets see if she gets stuck on the first hurdle. 'Oh yeah. Charlie still lives in his old shack. Billy is still down in La Push. He was really angry for months after he found out there was something like Twilight. We can only guess that it was because the "secret" was found out, if it was true. The rest still live in La Push too, except Leah who left for college. Sam married and settled in Florida with Emily. Eric Yorkie is a gym coach at the school –still has skin problems. Lauren –oh gosh. You should have seen her face when she saw how she was portrayed. Never been the same since. Changed her name to Laura, married Tyler, divorced, kept the last name and disappeared off the face of the Earth! The wedding was nothing compared to Bella and Edward's.'

I was thoughtful for a while. Childhood fantasies threatened to come to life. 'Are all stories true then?' Jessica laughed. 'I really don't know. Snow White? Cinderella? No idea. Twilight is though, but I doubt every single one is. Too much contradiction. And if you mean creatures, there can't be ten thousand types of vampires, can there?' I furrowed a brow. 'Why not? What about Vampires A-Z?' Jessica thought about it. 'Good point. You might actually be right,' she concluded. How dull can someone be to not remember a crucial part of a story they themself were in?

'So you're done right? Want to come over and chat a bit?' I wasn't sure. Did I want to spend my time with a talkative 28 year old? 'I'm not sure' Jessica's face fell a bit. 'Oh please. It will be fun!' she pleaded. She was actually pleading! I gave in. I didn't have anything else to do in any case. I could escape with Seattle excuse or something. I really did need a computer.